Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin met FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich in New Delhi on Friday and discussed the steps to be taken by the State government in hosting the World Chess Olympiad for the first time from 27 July to 10 August.
An official release here said in the backdrop of Chennai being chosen as the prestigious venue for the ensuing 44th Chess Olympiad this meeting is a very significant step towards expediting the works happening to ensure grand and successful conduct of the one of its kind event to be celebrated and egarly by the World Chess and all.
The First Chess Olympiad was organized by the FIDE in 1927, it is a biennial Chess tournament coming to India for the first time to Asia after 30 years and that too is scheduled to happen in the Chess capital of India –Chennai.
A FIDE inspection team earlier inspected the selected venue 60 Km south from the city that is Four points by Sheraton Mahabalipuram Resort and Convention Centre.
Traditionally along with the Olympiad the FIDE Congress to select a new President and office bearers used to be conducted and this time also it will happen in Chennai as per the FIDE protocol, in August this year.
It is expected that around 2,000 Chess Players including several popular Grand Masters are participating from 186 countries around the world. The players from the developing countries will be financially supported to encourage their participation.
All the preliminary works to pass a Government order to create Chennai Chess Olympiad Committee (CCOC) a dedicated society to carry out the various works related to the conduct of Olympiad with a Kaleidoscopic opening ceremony and spectacular Closing Event are completed.
Renowned music artists and traditional cultural and folk art experts are being approached to make the occasion memorable.
Dvorkvich has expressed his happiness in the way the event is shaping up and his meeting with the Chief Minister is a consequential one resulting in several fruitful decisions to showcase the hospitality, tourism and several other specialties of Tamilnadu.